Receive Your Peace Today

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

Phil 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” It says, “Don’t be anxious.” In other words, quit worrying. It says don’t worry about anything! That’s a pretty tall order considering what some people are facing this very moment. Instead we are instructed to pray and petition God. What does that really mean?

The word prayer in the Greek means this: take all of God in—who He is and His love toward you—and worship Him for it. When you worship and magnify God, He takes His rightful place in your heart and becomes who He should be to you. The word petition in the Greek means to make requests of God. We are instructed that in everything we are to make petition or request of God. We are to do so with thanksgiving. That means as you lift these things before God, remember that He is God, that His arm is not short, that He doesn’t have a power shortage, and then remember that He loves you and wants to help you! Thank Him in faith because you do trust and know He loves you and is working on your behalf.

Why don’t prayers always seem to be answered as quickly as we like? One reason is because God often uses people to answer prayer and He won’t override their will. That means He has to move upon their hearts. Some will obey God and some won’t; just like sometimes you don’t. When people don’t then God goes on to someone else. He gives people the chance to be used of Him. The primary way God brings blessing is through people. He is not limited to using people—obviously miracles of God of many kinds manifest in lives every day. But even those sometimes come at the ends of people. Regardless of what people do, God will answer your prayers. He will be working behind the scenes on your behalf. He is a loving Father. I know anxiousness tries to invade our present moments. It’s hindsight that often reveals how God took care of us. Cast out those anxious moments and don’t forget to remember how God has helped you before.

When we finally learn not to be anxious, but instead trust God, and when we are diligent to lift petitions before God in faith with thanksgiving, then and only then does the next verse—today’s Fresh Manna verse—come into play. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is when you will experience God’s supernatural peace; a peace that is beyond human comprehension. You’ll feel it and people will notice the difference in you!

And one more thing, be used of God to be an answer to someone’s prayer. If you feel God leading you to pray for someone, encourage someone, do something for someone, then do it. Don’t put it off delaying the answer to someone else’s prayer. You may be the very answer they have been praying for and God wants to use you as the conduit!

Phil 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim